Contaminants

Metal face seals are often used in heavily contaminated environments, where mud packing in the cavity between the housing, sealing rings and Belleville washers can occur. Eventually, the mud packing can cause the Belleville washers to be pushed out of position, resulting in improper face loads or mud being pumped past the Belleville washers.

Contaminants can also cause abrasion to the Belleville washers, which in turn causes deterioration of the elastomer. To minimize the risk of seal failure due to this deterioration, it is critical to select a proper Belleville washer material for the application in question.